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It seems like summer just flew by, doesn’t it? And the new semester means we’re busier than ever, so we’ll be changing things up a little bit with this newsletter — that’s right, two writers.

Ryan is a junior majoring in comparative literature; Ketki’s a senior studying integrative biology. One thing we have in common, though, is a passion for bringing you the best arts and culture things to do around the Bay Area.

On Tuesday, brave the steep UC Berkeley gradient and head over to Stephens Hall at 5 p.m. for a postcard talk (something you never knew you needed until now) from San Francisco-based historian Omar Khan. The scholar will be discussing his latest book, “Paper Jewels: Postcards from the Raj,” a study of the explosion of postcard usage in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka beginning in 1892. In his video preview of the book, Khan is adamant in proclaiming postcards “the Instagram of their time.” Check out the talk and let us know if anything presented is truly finsta-worthy.

Wednesday provides the rare (in this case, yearly) chance to hear some of our lauded professors actually present their original work. Unsurprisingly, many of the UC Berkeley English Department’s faculty members are also accomplished creative writers — to mention a couple of the most prominent figures, Joyce Carol Oates has published 58 novels to date and Robert Haas was a U.S. Poet Laureate. At the Annual Holloway Faculty Reading, faculty including C.S. Giscombe, Lyn Hejinian and Geoffrey O’Brien will read from their personal collections. In preparation for the event, sample some of their works, such as “Ponderable,” ”From Honey to Ashes” and “First Dream.”

If you haven’t been to one of BAMPFA’s outdoor screenings, you should go. They’re free, they’re very laid-back, and you get to watch a movie on the side of the futuristic metal behemoth that is the museum. Thursday is just the day to do so — as part of its “Berkeley Film Foundation,” BAMPFA is showing “This Ain’t No Mouse Music!” on the big screen. The film is technically a documentary tribute to Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records and bluegrass/jazz aficionado, but it’s also a deep dive into the music that the man in question so loved. Hopefully, you’ll get to not only watch but maybe even groove along as well.

Have you ever hoped to recount the wrongdoings of your shitty ex to an auditorium full of strangers? Well, SF Mission-based Endgames Improv’s “Your Fucked Up Relationship” is a prime place to do so. The improv group, which has two nighttime shows every Friday, revolves around audience members’ accounts of their own unfortunate romantic experiences — which the cast will in turn use as the premise for a bit. Compared to hitting up a bar (or age-appropriate venue), it’s a very chill way to spend a Friday evening.

Then it’s the weekend, so get out and explore a new side of town. Start your day off in Uptown Oakland at Tertulia Coffee, which shares a space with the Latinx-focused art gallery Sanchez Contemporary. Grab a cup of the house blend, known as “El Jibaro,” and check out Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez’s “Puerto Rican Portraits of Resistance.”

Next, head down to Lake Chabot for a day on the water. If you’re an avid hiker, try the 10-mile lake loop, though beware of some steep elevation changes and plenty of poison oak. If you’re more in the mood to sit back, the marina rents out kayaks and pedal boats for just $27 for an hour. Just make sure to keep yourself and any canine companions out of the water, because toxic algae in the lake can pose a threat to dogs.

And while you’re waiting on BART, check out Skylar De Paul’s piece on the new Lana Del Rey album, Norman Fucking Rockwell. According to Skylar, Del Rey’s latest release encompasses everything from “breezy summertime poems” to “lovesick melodramas,” bringing yet another dimension to Del Ray’s musical reflections on the West Coast.

About this blog

Whether it's new music release announcements, previews of art events or musings on the latest entertainment news, Culture Shot is the spot to find out what's going on in the world of Arts & Entertainment, Bay Area and beyond.